Lelan was a veteran of World War II. He entered the U.S. Army in 1941. He remained stateside, serving most of his time at Fort Chaffee, Arkansas.
After the war, he married Evaline McKinney. Lelan and Evaline lived in Fort Smith, Arkansas in the early years of their marriage. They later moved to Muskogee,Oklahoma. They were divorced.
Many years after his divorce, Lelan married Bernice(Smith) Montgomery. Lelan was a Mason and a Shriner.